What Do You Do With a BA in English?
by mozaikrole
Summary: Sick and bored with what little life was throwing at him, Light soon encounters a familiar, odd stranger out in the bitter cold and forms an unusual bond with him. A story filled with songs from musicals and L/Light.
1. What a Mistake

_**A**uthor's **N**ote:_

**REPOST ON A NEW ACCOUNT :D**

Before you ask: Yes, this story has songs from musicals like Sweeny Todd, Avenue Q, Tick...Tick...BOOM!, etc, etc. I changed the characters around and stuff so it's different. Some scenes are similar, some are completely different.

THE BEGINNING IS **EXTREMELY OOC!**

So _please_ don't mention how L is not acting like himself. _I know. _I purposely did that. Read after the beginning and you'll see how L changed. Alright? Good. :)

NOTE: The song's lyrics may be changed to fit the story a bit more :D They also won't always be singing, they'll talk normally (like, 90% of the time) using the lyrics sometimes too.

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**WARNINGS: **Implied **y**aoi/shounen-ai (boyxboy), implied homosexuality, and some angst and OOC-ness :D

_Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note or any of the songs/lyrics presented in this piece. All rights go to their respective owners._

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_What Do You Do With a B.A. In English?_

_1. What a Mistake_

x~x~x~x~X~x~x~x~x

"Ladies and gentlemen, can I have your attention please?" Light looked up at the low, musical, monotone voice, singing in harmony with the background music playing softly behind a shabby, burgundy curtain. The boy seemed not much older than Light himself—a proud 12 years old. Light tugged on his mother's hand, lightly dragging her over to the now-forming crowd hovering by the stage set in the middle of the small marketplace. The boy on stage grinned at the amount of people that had gathered and picked up a bottle filled with a mysterious yellow liquid. He fiddled with the hat on top of his head, little black tufts of hair poking out through the sides.

Louder than before, the boy continued in his lovely voice, further stunning both Light and his mother. "Do you wake up every morning in shame and despair to discover your pillow is covered with hair—what ought not to be there?" By the persuading tones in the boy's voice, Light could sense that he was trying to sell something—particularly the bottles labeled "Wammy's Miracle Elixir" sitting innocently in the background.

Still smiling brightly, the boy bounced across the stage energetically and bent down to a few bemused, wealthy-looking gentlemen in the front. "Well, ladies and gentlemen, from now on you can waken at ease! You need never again have a worry or care!" He poured out some of the liquid contents onto his hand and promptly slapped it on a bald man's head, smearing the yellow stuff over the bald piece of skin. "I will show you a miracle, marvelous rare!" By now, Light was deeply interested and fascinated by the boy's words and harmonizing voice—and what was really inside the bottles.

Moving back to the middle of the stage, the boy continued, "Gentlemen, you are about to see what rose from the dead—on the top of my head!" Then, the boy took off his hat, revealing messy, tangled raven-black hair that looked almost impossible to tame, even for the best hairdresser in town. Laughter was heard from the crowd and Light couldn't help but crack a small smile at the young teen's antics. "Twas Wammy's Miracle Elixir! That's what did the trick, sir!" He passed a few bottles out to the crowd, still smiling happily. "True, sir, true!"

He danced back over to the man he poured the mysterious elixir's contents on earlier and bent down on one knee. "Was it quick, sir? Did it in a tick, sir, just like an elixir ought to do!" The boy seemed proud of himself as he poured more of the proclaimed miracle elixir on the poor man's head.

He went over to the middle of the stage once more and handed a different man a new bottle, opening it for him. "How about a bottle, mister? Only costs a penny, guaranteed," The man nodded and flicked two rusty coins into the raven-haired teen's hands. Pocketing the money, the singing advertiser danced over to the back of the stage, picking up a few more bottles, tossing one out in the crowd.

"Does Wammy's stimulate the growth, sir? You can have my oath, sir! 'Tis unique!" He smiled, showing off his straight, white teeth with an aura of pride hovering over him like a storm cloud.

He spotted one man in the crowd rubbing the elixir on his head a bit reluctantly. He grinned, jumping to the middle of the stage and pointing to the man seriously. "Rub a minute—stimulatin' innit? Soon, you'll have to thin it once a week!"

Eventually, one of the bottles was passed through the crowd for the people to sample and examine. Light sniffed the air curiously and then crinkled his nose in disgust. Subtly, he announced loudly, but causally to his mother,

"Pardon me, ma'am, what's that awful stench?" Sachiko, Light's mother, hid a quick smile and played along with her son's acting, surprised at both of their skills.

"Are we standing near an open trench?"

The man standing next to both of them, holding the bottle of bad-smelling elixir, looked at the glass curiously and handed it to Sachiko.

The boy on stage seemed to get a bit nervous at Light's words and picked up another bottle with fake enthusiasm, catching the crowd's attention once again. "Buy Wammy's Miracle Elixir! Anything what's slick, sir, soon sprouts curls! When they see how thick, sir, you can have your pick, sir, of the girls!" He added a sly wink to the audience, smirking to himself.

He saw another certain man in the crowd looking anxiously at the bottles being passed around, so the raven-haired teen raised the elixir in the air, acknowledging the man.

"Wanna buy a bottle, mister?"

Light cut the boy off and glanced at the bottle handed to him, sniffing it cautiously, "What is this?" Faintly, his mother echoed him. Nodding in affirmation and handing it back to his mother, he concluded, "Smells like piss."

Sachiko hesitantly smelled the contents and nearly gagged, "Smells like—eww!"

Light barely managed to contain his excited giggles at the look of disbelief on the other young boy's pale, hollow face. There was a slight tint of anger lit behind his black, empty eyes.

Studying the bottles as his mother handed it back to the dumbfounded man standing beside them, Light continued in a condescending tone, "Looks like piss,"

Sachiko leaned to the side and gave the man a pointed look, glancing briefly at the yellow elixir, "Wouldn't touch it if I was you, dear!"

Light crossed his arms and stuck his nose in the air rudely and with an air of pride and mockery. "This is piss. Piss with ink,"

The boy on stage, on the verge of losing his own pride, mustered up the rest of the courage he owned and continued singing, his voice louder and higher from the effort of trying to drown out the crowds hurried whispers and awful snickers. "Let Wammy's activate your roots, sir-,"

Light, with a smug look set upon his lips, interrupted and exclaimed louder, "Keep it off your boots sir—eats right through," his voice picked up the pace as he smirked at the panicking advertiser.

"Yes, get Wammy's! Use a bottle of it! Ladies to love it-,"

"Flies do too!" The teen seemed crest-fallen at the laughter that emitted from the crowd. As the crowd dispersed, no longer interested in the scam, the boy began picking up his stuff and props, ready to leave after a failed attempt at earning money.

There was a slight feeling of guilt burrowing itself in Light's chest. He tried to reason with himself that he did something right—he saved those people from giving in to a horrible scam. Light was a smart boy, one of the greatest students in his grade, and to him it was plainly obvious that the elixir was literally piss and ink blended well together. The boy should have tried to disguise the smell or changing the color. Or, at least, that's what Light would have done.

Because Light did everything 100 percent.

x~x~x~x~X~x~x~x~x

_-7 Years Later-_

Everything was the same. Everything was a routine. He would wake up, go to work for a few hours, head towards the library, buy a coffee, go home and say hello to his mother and sister, then stay in his room until dinner, eat that, then get ready for bed. It was such a simple routine and he hated it. He wanted _something_ to change, _something_ to stir up that replaying, echoing routine that controlled his life ruthlessly.

And, one day, that wish was granted and something stepped into Light Yagami's life that changed it around, messing up his monotone life.

And it's safe to say, Light Yagami enjoyed this new change

* * *

Light walked along the streets of Avenue street, his cup of coffee held carelessly in his gloved hands. The brunt of the winter wind hit him front-first in the face as he struggled to walk home. Why he didn't have a car to use during the winter, Light wasn't sure. His fingers were starting to become numb from the cold, despite the protection they were enclosed in. His teeth shatter, the noise banging in his skull, causing him to have a major headache. Attempting to sip his coffee, Light brought the cup up to his (now paling) lips and almost spit out the steaming liquid as it burnt his tongue. Grimacing at the odd feeling at the tip of his tongue, he swallowed the small amount of coffee that escaped into his mouth and continued towards his house.

That is, until he saw a figure sitting outside a closed down bakery shop, shivering and pale. The man was sitting, well, it was more like crouching, on the wall of the shop, dressed in only a thin black jacket, a white sleeved shirt, and simple denim jeans. The man didn't even have shoes for God's sake! His black hair was tangled and unruly, probably from the powerful wind blowing against the man's lean figure roughly. Light immediately felt bad for the poor fellow, but then decided it was best to leave the seemingly homeless man alone. But, despite was his mind was screaming at him to do, Light found himself walking towards the poor man and bending down, smiling shyly (since when was Yagami Light shy?).

"Hey, why don't you have a better jacket? Aren't you cold?" The man looked up from his gaze at the ground and Light was shocked to see those same, black, empty eyes he saw those years ago . . . the little boy who was trying to sell the elixir.

"I didn't think to bring one with me," The man's voice was low and monotone, his tone sounding like he didn't care and just wanted to be left alone. That wasn't at all like the boy all those years ago. Maybe he was wrong for once. Despite this, Light continued in knowing more about the man, his stomach jolted with his stomach—finding new information, particularly hard-to-get information, was always so exciting.

_It's kind of sad that you have to talk to some random stranger just to fulfill your need of want. Are you so desperate as to talk to this man? He doesn't seem to like your company. You're pathetic. Just walk away right now. Walk away and forget this man and move on with the routine you've come to know and memorize. Go away right now._

Light ignored his inner-voice and sat down on the ground next to the man, offering his coffee. The raven-haired man declined with a wave of his hand and turned his gaze back to the ground. As the air grew silent and tight, Light took the chance to look at the man's features.

His skin was frighteningly pale and made his raven-black hair stand out even more so than it should have. He seemed really skin and his bones jutted out from lack of nutrition. The man didn't seem to show any emotion and had a blank look on his face—as if he had a secret he was afraid of spilling. The dark smudges under his eyes suggested he had insomnia or had an issue sleeping (maybe that had something to do with the blank look). Moving down, Light saw that the other male's hand's were just as boney and thin. He figured the rest of the man's body was malnourished as well. The man;s clothes seemed clean and washed nicely, so he figured the man was just sitting on the ground and wasn't homeless. The way the man sat was also strange. He sat on the tips of his toes and his backside was just above the ground, his boney hands resting atop his knobby knees.

Overall, Light came to the conclusion that the man wasn't ugly—no, definitely not. The other male wasn't the most beautiful creature ever either, but he was definitely attractive. Light himself was a beauty and he knew that (the girls that fawned over him and occasionally stalked him was a hint) but he worked hard for this appearance. The man didn't seem like he even had to try to achieve the same amount of beauty Light had.

And, no, Light was _not_ jealous.

Sort of.

"May I have the honor of knowing your name?" The monotone voice startled Light out of his thoughts. He blanked for a second than coughed and rubbed his hands together to form a bit of friction to warm his slowly freezing hands.

"Raito. Yagami Raito," He stuck one hand out and shot the other male a small smile. "And you?"

The raven-haired beauty grasped Light's hand and shook it lightly once before moving his hand back to his knee. "You may call me Ryuuzaki,"

Light smirked and laughed once. "An alias? Do I seem that untrustworthy?" The man, Ryuuzaki, seemed shocked and snapped his gaze toward Light.

"Why do you think I used an alias?"

Light shrugged and looked at his coffee, uncomfortable by the piercing gaze Ryuuzaki was sending him. He shivered slightly, unsure if it was from the cold or something else, and smiled politely, to mask his discomposure, "You said, 'you may call me' instead of, 'my name is'," He shrugged and gathered up the courage to look Ryuuzaki in the eye. "Most normal people don't introduce themselves that way unless they're hiding something."

Ryuuzaki then smiled slightly and shook his head. "You seem intelligent, Yagami-kun," _Yagami-kun? _How did he know Light was Japanese? "Your looks, Yagami-kun, is obviously Asian," Ryuuzaki looked bored as he answered the thoughts going through Light's mind. "Your miniscule accent gives you away." Light gaped at him. That was . . . unreal! Impossible! Everyone had guessed that he was Asian, obviously by his slanted eyes and natural looks, but no one had every mentioned his accent. He thought he had mastered the American accent years ago!

Light frowned. "But . . . I don't have an acce-,"

"You mispronounced most of your R's, albeit just slightly. Your tongue still slides a little," Light was once again dumbfounded and at loss for words.

"That," he breathed in disbelief, "That's so . . . odd. How did you-," He shook his head, "Never mind."

Ryuuzaki seemed amused now and, in a spur of movement, stood up and put his hands in his pockets. "It was nice to meet you, Yagami-kun, but I must return home. I have a few young adolescents awaiting my presence," Even how the man spoke was intelligent! Light felt his heart jolt and his stomach curl when he realized that Ryuuzaki was leaving.

"Wait!" Ryuuzaki stopped walking and turned around, one eyebrow raised.

"Yes, Yagami-kun?"

Light struggled with his words. How could he make the raven-haired male stay and talk? "You're not properly dressed! You can't walk out in that weather!" His hands shook slightly and he attached them to his coffee cup that had gone cold a long while ago. "At least . . . let me walk you to my house and I'll borrow my mother's car to drive you home!" There. It was a valid argument. Or, at least, Light thought it was.

Ryuuzaki seemed to think about Light's offer for a few minutes before nodding. "Lead the way, Yagami-kun,"

Light smiled and exhaled in relief, walking past Ryuuzaki and towards his house. As he heard the footsteps follow him, his heart stopped beating so erratically and calmed down to a normal heart rate. "By the way, Ryuuzaki, you can just call me Light. No need for formalities,"

"Whatever you wish, Raito-kun,"

He even had the accent perfected.

What kind of a man was Ryuuzaki?

x~x~x~x~X~x~x~x~x

**A**uthor's **N**ote **2**:

**NOTE 2**: Know a good musical song you recommend and want to see in the story? Say so in a review or a PM! There will be a few interludes and your song recommendation could be used :) Yay!

(EDIT): The song in the beginning was "Pirelli's Miracle Elixir" from Sweeny Todd.


	2. No Place Like London

**A**uthor's **N**ote:

-Thank you for the reviews/alerts/faves. I truly appreciate it :)

-I went back and fixed a couple errors last chapter so YAY :D Nothing all that important, though.

-Sorry for the late update .

-Remember, I do change around the lyrics so it'll make more sense with the story.

-I also decided to add some humor...let's see how that will work out.

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**WARNINGS**: Swearing, implied yaoi/shounen-ai (boyxboy), implied homosexuality, and some angst and OOC-ness :D

_Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note or any of the songs/lyrics presented in this piece. All rights go to their respective owners._

_

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_

_What Do You Do With a B.A. In English?_

_2. No Place Like London_

x~x~x~x~X~x~x~x~x

They had walked in silence, their own thoughts filling the eerie void. What was going through Ryuuzaki's head Light wasn't sure, but he would pay a lot to know. The man was just so . . . _strange. _The way he held himself was very odd. He sat in a crouched position, as if defending his body, and he walked hunched over with his hands in pockets. Light moved to speak, to question, several times, but knew better and kept his mouth shut.

They eventually reached Light's house, discovering the car was gone. Light silently cheered and thanked his mother. Ryuuzaki seemed a little miffed, but followed Light into the house, looking at his feet the whole journey. Light stood by the beginning of the stairs, his hands tangling themselves together behind his back. "Would you like to come upstairs to my room while we wait?" Ryuuzaki nodded and followed Light upstairs, entered the room, looked around once, then sat on the ground in his strange crouch.

Light, however, was a normal human being and sat on his desk chair, slipping on his mask so his guest wouldn't see how excited he actually was. "So . . . ," Light started, looking at his thumbs nervously, "Why were you outside in the cold?"

"The bakery store I prefer has gone into foreclosure,"

. . . Okay then.

Light tried again, "Why didn't you just go home?"

Ryuuzaki sighed and looked bored as he rested his cheek against his leg. "I was waiting for the storm to die down,"

Light rolled his eyes and tapped his finger against his desk, trying to think of a new topic. "So . . . you mentioned having kids waiting for you . . . ?"

Ryuuzaki cracked a small grin, "They are my adoptive brothers. Near, Mello, and Matt. I take care of them myself." Light nodded, hoping his relief wasn't all that visible in his features. He moved to reply when Ryuuzaki stood up and walked over to the bed, sat down and looked seriously into Light's eyes. "Do you want to hear a story, Raito-kun?"

Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to bring such a brilliant, down-right _beautiful,_ stranger into his house. "Uh, alright. Go right ahead,"

Ryuuzaki nodded and looked at his milky white hands once before starting. "There's no place like London . . . which is where I am from," He looked at the wall, biting his lip and his eyes seemed to be battling emotions. Light frowned and moved over to the bed, waving his hand in front of his face.

"Ryuuzaki," Said man shook his head and moved his gaze from the wall to the ground.

"You are young," he continued, "Life has been kind to you. You will learn there's a hole in the world like a great black pit and the vermin of the world inhabit it and its morals aren't worth what a pig can spit and it goes by the name of London . . .," The raven-haired man moved from the bed and walked towards the window, putting his finger to his lips and gazing sadly at the darkened, cold, empty streets of Japan. "At the top of the hole sit the privileged few, making mock of the vermin in the lonely zoo. Turning beauty to filth and greed . . . I, too, have traveled the world and seen its wonders, for the cruelty of men is as wondrous as Peru, but there's no place like London,"

Light was now almost positive this man had gone criminally insane and lost his mind on the way. "Is . . . everything alright, Ryuuzaki?" Ryuuzaki sighed, closing his dark, troubled his briefly before turning around and facing Light directly.

"I beg your indulgence, Raito-kun, but my mind is far from easy. And these very streets are filled with shadows. Every last one of them," Ryuuzaki moved back over to the bed and sat down like a normal person, or at least, what sanity he had left. Light frowned at his words, looking at the other male in confusion.

"Shadows?" Ryuuzaki nodded blankly.

"There was a detective and his husband . . . and he was beautiful," Ryuuzaki looked off in the distance, his eyes now wistful and full of longing, full of _desperation_. It made Light's heart jolt and break for him."A foolish detective and his husband. He was his reason for his life...and he was beautiful, and he was virtuous. And the detective was naive. There was another woman who saw that he was beautiful...a pious vulture of the law who, with a gesture of her claw, removed the detective from his plate! Then there was nothing, but to wait! And he would fall!So soft! So young! So lost and oh-so-beautiful!"

Light frowned and looked at the floor disinterestedly. " . . . I presume that you were the detective, Ryuuzaki?"

The raven-haired man nodded sadly and raised his hand to his pale lips, chewing on his thumbnail absently. Light watched the simple action with a grimace. Swiftly, he took a hold of Ryuuzaki's skinny, bony wrist and gently lowered it from his teeth, stopping the self-mutilating habit for the time-being.

The older man of the two looked at Light strangely and stood up. "I think it is time for me to departure, Raito-kun. The storm seems to have died down," Light felt something in his gut churn and he sighed silently before standing up and heading towards the door. He walked down the stairs with a rather heavy heart and watched as Ryuuzaki slipped his feet into those awful, ratty old sneakers.

_Maybe the next time I see him, I'll pick him up an extra pair. Those must be at least two sizes to small, _Light thought to himself.

_'If you see him again, that is,'_

Quickly, Light shoved those thoughts out of his head and stood up straight, offering his hand out to Ryuuzaki. The raven-haired man took the hand loosely, barely grasping Light's tanned hand. Letting go and opening the door, Ryuuzaki barely made it three steps outside before the young brunette blurted out,

"Will I see you again?"

Hiding an amused smirk, the man turned back around, grabbing Light's hand once again, opening the closed fist, and placing a piece of paper in the palm of his hand. Then, without another word, he left, closing the door gently behind him.

He left nothing behind but the smell of strawberries and a scrap piece of paper with a messily scribbled number on it.

As Light made his way upstairs, he muttered to himself, "There's a hole in the world like a great black pit and it's filled with people who are filled with shit. And the vermin of the world inhabit it . . . ," He closed the door behind him and sank onto his bed, the number clutched tightly in his hand, "It, too, resides in Tokyo, Ryuuzaki . . . you will learn."

* * *

"Raito-nii! It's dinner!"

_'You should call him.' _

_But, it's only been a few days._

_'You should still call him, just to be sure.'_

"ONII-CHAN! IT'S DINNER!"

_Maybe just a quick hello. Or, maybe I should just text him. Oh wait, what if he doesn't text? Hmm . . . _

"RAITO! IT. IS. DINNER! GET YOUR ASS DOWN AT THE TABLE! I'M _HUNGRY!_"

You know when Sayu doesn't add "nii" at the end of Light's name _and_ ends up swearing, then all shit's going down.

"Sayu!"

_'Just dial the number and wait for him to answer. If he doesn't . . . call back again in thirty minutes. Come on, you know you have a bit of an infatuation with the guy, why not try to see if he likes you back?'_

Pause. Outside the door there's a faint sound of pounding feet running up the stairs.

_Because he's probably _straight_, dumbass. _

**_SLAM!_**

"YAGAMI RAITO-NII. GET DOWN THE STAIRS AND EAT DINNER LIKE A CIVILISED PERSON AND TALK TO YOUR FAMILY LIKE A GOOD BOY!" Light jumped as his sister, Sayu Yagami, burst into the room, her eyes wide and feverish-looking.

Nearly laughing at her, Light stood up from his desk chair and ruffled her hair, walking past her and down the stairs. As if in a race, Sayu ran past him and down the stairs, sitting at her spot at the table. As soon as Light sat down, she nodded and began to dig into her food. Sachiko, the mother of the two, laughed politely behind her hand and looked at Light.

"How was your day?"

Light smirked to himself and twirled his chopsticks in his rice, leaning his chin on the palm of his hand. "Uneventful as always," Sayu groaned from her seat and looked at her brother with disinterest.

"You're so boring, nii-chan!" She huffed and stabbed her onigiri angrily, "When are you going to bring a girlfriend home? Stop being such a prude!"

Light almost choked on the food he placed in his mouth. He coughed slightly and then looked at his sister in disbelief. "Seriously, Sayu?" She nodded and, with her mouth full, nodded towards her mother, who sat watching the display with slight worry.

"Even okaa-san knows I'm right! Right?" Sachiko looked uncomfortably at her plate and looked at her son with sympathy.

"Don't eat with your mouth full, dear," Then she smiled slightly, "But, yes, I am excited for the day Raito brings home a girl."

Light sighed and rubbed his eyes tiredly. "I'm not going to bring a girl home just because my sister wants to see me get laid. But, I did meet someone,"

**_CRASH!_**

Sayu tipped her glass of water over from jumping in her seat excitedly. She immediately turned to Light, her eyes lighting up with excitement.

"What's her name? Ooh, is she pretty? Is she smart, or a total ditz? Have you kissed her yet? Oh, I bet you take her in your arms and whisper in her ear, making her blush and swoon. OH MY GOSH, MY LITTLE RAITO-NII HAS GROWN UP!"

Light coughed nervously and poked his rice distractedly. "_He_ is just a friend. I met him outside of that old bakery that recently closed down. He's . . . odd, too say in the least,"

Sayu pouted and sat back down dejectedly. "Well, that's no fun. Thanks for ruining my dreams, nii-chan,"

Laughing, Light reached over and patted his sister's head, avoiding her swatting arm, and shook his head. "Sorry, Sayu," In response, Sayu stuck out her tongue childishly, making Light chuckle again.

His family was crazy, but that's why he loved being apart of it.

x~x~x~x~X~x~x~x~x

**A**uthor's **N**ote **2**:

-Sorry for the shortness. I figured it was long enough since the last update and thought that close to 2,000 words was enough :3

-Did anyone else notice the amount of LxOC stories that are suddenly pouring in?

-I appreciate reviews and accept constructive criticism ^_^

-The song used here was "No Place Like London" from Sweeney Todd :D


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